High above the dark ocean, the battleship hovered in place high in the sky. Ali climbed up through a hatch to the top of the ship. She found herself on top of one of the cannons.

"Crap," she said. "This place is a monster." She looked down and saw that Raza had his foot on Colin, keeping him down. In front of them appeared to be a kid, dressed very strangely. "Who the hell is that?"

Colin felt absolutely no strength as Raza kept him down. It took most of his energy just to look up at Sheh.

"How does it feel to be finally free, Lord Sheh?" Raza asked the strange kid.

"Refreshing." Sheh responded in a monotone voice that echoed like when someone is possessed. "Do you have it?"

Raza smiled as he held up the Spirit Rose. He then tossed it over to Sheh, who caught it.

"The Spirit Rose..." Sheh said in his emotionless tone. "Ten petals, each colored differently... Red, White, Violet, Azure, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, Orange and Black... Black... The black rose has finally come forward. I take it that the Gods are all dead now?"

"They certainly are." Raza answered cheerfully. "And it's all thanks to this guy here!" Raza pointed to Colin.

Sheh looked down at Colin, who looked like he had a mix of anger and exhaustion. "I see..." Sheh muttered. "The Red Rose indeed..." Sheh then turns and takes three steps away from them, and without turning around says, "The Umbra will now retreat from the cities. Allow the Roses to believe they have won."

"Of course. As you say." Raza responded to Sheh's orders.

"Now, Raza, I understand how long you have waited for this." Sheh read Raza's mind, metaphorically. "As a reward, you may execute the Red Rose in any way you see fit. Just as I have promised you."

Raza snickers. "That's all I want." Raza said, so very pleased.

Sheh then seemingly disappears into thin air. Raza then grabs Colin by his collar, picks him up and thrusts him forward, which made Colin stumble a bit. When Colin turned around, Raza pulls out his chain and pierced it through Colin's stomach and tied itself around once.

"Let's have some fun!" Raza exclaimed with excitement.

Raza then grabbed the chain, swung it and used it to slam Colin repeatedly across the hull of the battleship. He then flung him against one of the turrets and then flung him to the opposing side into another turret, which was all extremely painful.

"DOES THAT HURT? ! I HOPE SO!" Raza screamed as his endorphins rushed.

Ali watched from the top of the turret she was on as Raza threw Colin around like a rag doll.

"Damn, I need to get down there!" Ali muttered to herself.

She looked around and carefully climbed down the side of the ship, as one slip could end up with her falling into the ocean.

Raza then finally slammed Colin into the hull, about 20 feet in front of him.

"Boy, that sure looked like fun!" Raza snickered. Raza then began to pull on the chain and pull Colin closer to him. "Just say the word, and we can do it again! If not, I'll just end it for you!" Raza then pulls out his little knife. "You see my knife? I can do so much good stuff with this knife! For example, I can stab you with it and it can inject a poison into your blood. The poison acts slowly, but is agonizing. Every second, you're going to beg for death. I wouldn't even wish this pain upon my worst enemy... that was a lie. I'm going to enjoy using it on you!"

Raza then pulls Colin up and lifts him off the ground.

"Seven hundred years!" Raza said to his face. "I have waited over 700 years to kill whoever wears that mark!"

Raza then stabbed him in the chest with the knife.

"Now before you painfully die..." Raza snickered. "There anything you want to get off your chest?"

"No," Colin managed to mutter. "Why don't you show me what's on your mind?"

"...Heah?" Raza asked confused. "That joke makes no sense. At least I got a knife in your-"

Colin then grabbed Raza's Face with his right hand, with the Red Rose Mark glowing and in a flash, Colin was looking into Raza's mind.

(Flashback inside Raza's mind)

It was back in London after the monsters had attacked. Raza was talking with Joan.

"Good." Raza said to her. "I'll find Rial and tell him what I know, and as soon as I can I'll send a messenger Falcon to Atticus. We need him as soon as Possible.

Joan nodded and began to walk away.

"And Joan...Be safe." Raza said reassuringly. Joan looked back, nodded, and continued on. Raza then turned into the opposite direction.

Raza arrived to where the other Roses were gathered. Lumos and Rial were talking, while Aurora was trying to take care of Robert, while Saffron watched very saddened by what happened to her brother. Once Raza saw what Marcantus did to Robert, it made him sick. He actually had to Throw up out of sight.

"Raza?" Rial asked as he heard the vomiting. "Uh, Lumos, give us a sec." Rial motioned toward Raza and took him aside, away from everyone so they could talk in private. "You all right Raza?"

"No-NO I'm NOT all right, Rial!" Raza snapped at him. "Did you see him? Did you see Robert? ! That is my fault! I handed him over to Marcantus and THAT happened to him!"

"It was his Idea." Rial explained. "It made them believe that you are a traitor, didn't it?"

"God almighty," Raza whimpered. "If Saffron found out she'd never forgive me. I can't keep doing this."

"Aurora just sealed away Marcantus. That means you are closer to Sheh more than anyone." Rial told him. "It'll be worth it, when we stop him."

"The ends NEVER justify the means, Rial!" Raza told him.

"They will." Rial reassured him. "Now once Joan rejoins us we can-"

"She's not here. I sent her to recover Atticus! We need him here."

"Why? What's happening?"

"Sheh is on his way here. He wants to get at Stonehenge."

"Stonehenge? That pile of rocks? Why?"

"He didn't tell me. So those monsters that retreated across the Thames? They will be coming back as soon as that griffon shows up in the sky."

"Alright," Rial said and thought for a moment. "And are you sure it was wise to send Joan after Atticus?"

"Don't start!"Raza demanded.

"You've known her all your life. You can't tell me it doesn't kill you to see them together."

"She made her choice. It was him. I can make her love. If I could make other people love, there would be no more war and we can all MAKE LOVE together!"

Rial then felt uncomfortable speaking with Raza. "Well...we should follow after them."

"I can just send a Falcon." Raza suggested.

"All our Falcons were killed."

"Well that's a problem."

"I'll leave Lumos in charge and we can go after them. This way if they run into Sheh we can assist."

"Uh, YOU can assist. I need to keep my cover."

"Oh, right, let's go."

…

Raza and Rial arrived in Bosworth. The town was very silent and desolate.

"Who died?" Raza joked.

"Something's strange here." Rial implied. "I'll look around. If Atticus and Joan are still here, they should be in the church."

"Eech, I hate churches. They always creep me out." Raza entered through the church's side door and entered a side room near a confessional.

"Fine! If that's how you feel then just Kill me! KILL ME!"

"What the Hell?" Raza asked himself. He Hurried into the main room and as soon as he entered the room, he saw Atticus swing his sword and slash Joan's neck."JOAN!"

Joan fell to her side and as soon as she hit the ground Raza ran over to her and turned her on her back. He Placed His hands over his necks to try and stop the bleeding. "Ok, J-Just stay Calm Joan! Rial's here, he'll-he'll fix you up! You'll be ok-ok?" There was panic in his voice as the blood spilled from her neck. He looked up at Atticus with anger. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS? !"

"I got your message." Atticus told him feeling confused. "You said she was the traitor."

"WHAT MESSAGE, YOU SON OF A-"

Joan then coughed up some blood and Raza then returned his focus to her. "Joan! Come just stay with me here. You're going to be ok! You'll be ok!"

As Raza told her this, her eyes became more distant...and eventually the color faded from them. She stopped moving.

"Joan? JOAN!"

Rial then came in through the front doors of the church. "My go-What happened here? !"

"Rial!"Raza called to him. "You need to Save her! Hurry!"

Rial came over to them and used the blue Rose to heal Joan's neck. Their was no response from her still.

"Come on Joan, get up." Raza hopelessly pleaded. "PLEASE!" His eyes started to tear up as the realization sank in. He then began to cry over her. "No...no no NOOO!"

Rial looked down at Joan's corpse and then up at Atticus. He then took Atticus aside into the confessional room away form Raza.

"What the Hell happened?" Rial asked him.

"She betrayed us!" Atticus explained "Raza said so-Here!" He showed Rial the message. Rial read it and shook his head.

"There is no traitor." Rial explained. "Raza was working to get close to Sheh. He committed all those crimes to earn his trust. We killed all of Sheh's generals and with No more Umbra, Raza is the only one he can trust now."

Atticus seemed distraught...confused...overwhelmed...sad...angry...he couldn't deal with his emotions. Rial left him alone, and as soon as he was alone he broke down.

Rial returned to Raza who had not moved an inch away from Joan. Rial noticed that Joan's White rose mark on her right hand was still there, only it looked faded...and withered, which means she did pass on the power of the white rose and it died with her.

"Raza," Rial said putting his hand on his shoulder. "we should bury her."

Raza couldn't even hear him speak, he was too distraught...

…

A week had past, Joan was buried at an Unmarked grave behind the church. Raza was the only one there, still paying his respects. He had refused to return to London with the others, wallowing in his pity.

"He should be here." Raza gritted his teeth."He should be here begging for your forgiveness! How can he possibly do this and keep going on with himself?" Raza's anger seethed as he clenched his fist trying to control it.

"It's a true tragedy." A voice said from behind Raza. He turned to find Sheh standing there. Sheh walked forward, past Raza, and kneeled down right in front of where Joan was buried, and prays for the deceased.

Raza watched silently as Sheh prayed. Once he finished, Sheh stood up. "It was not my intention to have her killed." he explained. "The letter was meant to simply plant the seeds of distrust."

"You did this? !" Raza asked, the fire in his soul burning with fury.

"Of course." Sheh calmly explained. "My intent was to alienate her. Have her fellow roses turn against her. I targeted the man she loved most, hoping the hurt would be enough for her to flee in shame. Then I would welcome her with open arms."

"Why? Why Her?"

"For you. I know you planned to betray me Raza. I hoped if she could see why I do the things I do, For the final good, she would be enough for you to fully trust in me. Then she wouldn't have to die."

"But now she's dead Because of you!" Raza exclaimed and drawing his sword. Sheh just smirked.

"Heh...amusing." he responded. "Please put the sword away. You know you can't kill me with that."

Raza gripped the handle of his sword tightly, but put it back into its sheath.

"Besides, I was not the one who killed her." Sheh continued. "Atticus slit her throat. He let her bleed out while you tried to save her. And worst of all, he made her want to die."

Raza's anger grew with every word Sheh spoke.

"I can feel your rage. It's powerful. You want revenge. I can give you strength to defeat him."

"Yeah right. How can you-"

"-give you more power than my Umbra?" Sheh Interrupted as if he knew what Raza was going to say. "True. With the Power of Sol Invictus, Atticus has killed the Flamma Aeterna, the Inchoatus Machina, and the King Calvarias...with your help I believe?"

"Ga-How-How long have you known-"

"Since the beginning. You were useful. My Point is, You have power they didn't. The Rose mark. That Combined with that of an Umbra can make you indeed powerful."

Raza looked at his Rose mark and then looked at Sheh, who still had his back turned to Raza through the whole conversation.

"...I'm waiting for your answer."

(End flashback inside Raza's mind)

Ali came back to reality. She was standing on the hull, a couple hundred feet away from where Colin and Raza were. She realized that she just saw the same vision they did.

"What was-?" She asked herself, only to see Colin be thrown by Raza across the hull of the ship, stopping right at the edge of the ship. The Knife still in his chest.

"THAT WAS NOT FOR YOU TO SEE! ! !" Raza shouted with his Snake eyes burning like a fire. "THAT WAS IN THE PAST! IT HAS NO RELEVENCE TO TODAY! NOW YOU JUST LAY THERE AND DIIIE!"

Raza then turned his attention to Joan. "And you!" He called to her. "Your very existence is an insult! You must burn!"

Ali prepared to defend herself from an attack but Raza pulled himself back and regained his composure. "No..." he said. "No, no no. We'll settle this the old fashioned way. A duel. I can't think of a more poetic way to dishonor you. Winner lives. Sound good to you?"

Ali looked back at Colin across the hull, who seemed all right, but was surrounded by a complex Chained prison (The chains came out of the ships hull and formed a cage) with no way to get to him. *If I finished this quickly* she thought. *I can probably save him.* "All right, Raza!" she said. "Duel!"

"Perfect!" He squealed with delight. "And you really need to hurry! Not only is my poison killing him, but the ship's engines were destroyed. Which means nothing holding us up but the monster's will. It will get weaker though, and as it does, we will slowly plunge into the cold, dark, unforgiving waters and disappear from existence! I CAN NOT THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO DIE! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"